Tips to Give Your Parents a Special Anniversary

Mummy says…Every anniversary is special but there’s something extra special about anniversaries celebrating decades of a loving relationship. When your parents are approaching their 30th, 40th or even 50th anniversary, it’s time to put together a really special celebration.

A wedding anniversary is one of the most memorable days that a couple can share. After all, it marks the time to celebrate memories of a lifetime and the promise of more memories to come. I guess this makes me feel a little emotional as I am single, I will never reach big anniversary milestones.

A Modern Twist on the Traditional

When the special couple is your parents, you want to make certain you get the perfect gift to commemorate their life’s commitment. Regardless of which year together your parents are celebrating, you can find that special gift that speaks to them.

Not sure what to give? Fortunately, the etiquette icon Emily Post solved that problem for you in 1922 when she came up with anniversary year themes.

And don’t worry, you’re not stuck with giving the traditional material (say ‘tin’ for 10th). There are plenty of modern twists on traditional favourites.

For example, If you’re celebrating your parents 50th wedding anniversary which is ‘Gold’ you don’t have to spend your savings buying them matching gold watches. Do they enjoy an evening cocktail before dinner? You could get them gold-rimmed cocktail glasses etched with their initials.

There’s more to the day than fantastic gifts, however. You also want to give your parents a celebration they’ll remember and cherish on the anniversaries yet to come.

The first thing you need to decide is what theme to have as the backdrop of your parents’ anniversary celebration. Talk it over with siblings or other family members, and include your parents’ closest friends if possible. Don’t shy away from asking for collaboration on everything, from the colour of the streamers to splitting the costs.

If you’re having trouble coming up with the perfect idea, I have a few suggestions that may help:

Dinner at “their” restaurant. Do your parents have a certain restaurant that holds special memories for them? Plan a dinner here for their anniversary celebration. You can reserve a banquet room to have privacy while still accommodating the intimate circle of family and friends with which your parents would enjoy sharing their day.

Renewal of vows. Renewal of vows is a way to pay homage to the years gone by and rekindle the love for the coming years. If possible, use the location of the original wedding. Your parents can exchange their original wedding rings again or treat each other with a new set of rings.

Trip down memory lane. If a small, private affair is more to your liking, make it special by putting together a collection of photographs and videos. Have their original wedding video transferred to modern media so all can watch.

Gift them a second honeymoon. Have your parents often talked about taking a special cruise or trip? Gift it to them as a second honeymoon for their anniversary. You, your siblings and other family and friends can all chip in to make it a “group effort” to send the couple off on their romantic getaway.

Host an open house for home-bodies. If your parents aren’t the travelling type, or have physical restrictions that would prevent travelling, host an open house for family and friends. Prepare food or have the event catered. Display pictures from their lives around the home, including the children growing up. Order her favourite flowers and his favourite cake. Family and friends coming by to spend time reminiscing will make the day super-special.

A private night out. Are your parents still parenting? Are they the primary caregivers for grandchildren? Gift them a night or weekend out alone. Volunteer to step into the parenting role for them so they have time to go out for a great private dinner, or a weekend getaway, just the two of them. Set the reservations for them and prepay the hotel bill. Send them off in a limo. Make it a time when they can concentrate on each other.

A wedding anniversary is special for any couple. It can be even more special when it’s your parents and you get to provide them a time they’ll cherish for years to come.

Have you any tips to give your parents a special anniversary you can add?

I love these ideas, My husband and I celebrated 8 years this year and we always agreed to renew our vows when we reach 10. Unfortunately, I can not see it happening anytime soon and we may need to push it to 15 but it is definitely something we are looking into doing.

These are some amazing tips! I arranged a nice party on my parents 25th wedding anniversary and there are still a lot of years for their 50th. We still have their wedding video and it’s so nice watching it.

My parents have now sadly split, but my husband and I are approaching our five year anniversary (not that big I know but big enough to celebrate) and have starting thinking about how to celebrate – love the suggestions here!

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